


Fate

by shiningsparkle



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Smut, Time Travel Fix-It, more tags will be added with later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:53:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26697049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiningsparkle/pseuds/shiningsparkle
Summary: [After ACC] Cloud is shattered and still looking for forgiveness. Aerith understands now that he seeks forgiveness from someone else, not his friends or the future. So she makes a decision. A decision that brings Cloud back. Back to where it all began.[Translation of a fic originally written in German]
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 22
Kudos: 103





	1. A Devastating Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> this is an old(er) fic I've posted from 2009-2012 on a German site called "fanfiktion.de", but I'm still deeply attached to it. This fic has been my pride and joy ever since I started writing it. I still turn to this fic’s comments when I need a pick-me-up. And even though it’s been over 10 years I still love to read it. I still love the way I wrote it, the plot, the character arcs, all of it. And I came to the realization that, if I translated it I wouldn’t even change a lot of it. You can expect some changes in formatting, me deleting some lines because they're a repetition of a previous line, so nothing major. I thought that translating it might actually not be that difficult. And practicing translating is never a bad thing either I guess 💚
> 
> A bit additional info:  
> ✨ Obviously this was written way before the remake, so my apologies if some dialogue/settings etc. go against what the remake established ><  
> ✨ I've taken some liberties in regards to how someone becomes a SOLDIER in this, but you'll see ;)  
> ✨ This fic will roughly have 200k words(roughly because English usually needs less words than the German language) and 40 chapters
> 
> If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask 💚 I'd love to hear from you 💚
> 
> I hope you have fun and enjoy the first chapter! 💚

Cloud only distantly registered the voices of the people around him as he sat there on the bar stool and looked down at the counter. He put his empty glass down on the wooden surface with an exaggerated thud. Even more so did he hear the sound of a new glass, filled with a random shot, Tifa placed in front of him. He took the shot without a word or even looking at her, he just put it up to his lips and gulped it down, hoping the alcohol would have some sort of effect on him. 

But nothing. He also could have drunk water for all he knew and he despised the reasons for it. All the Mako and who knew what chemicals were put into his body over the years made it impossible for him to get drunk.

_Shit_ , he thought. And now he sat there in the bar Seventh Heaven, filled to the brim with people, barely a day after their victory over the Geostigma and tried to get drunk anyway. Tifa knew about the lack of effect alcohol had on him, otherwise she wouldn’t pour him drink after drink.

Cloud just wanted to forget for once. He wanted to forget that he saved the planet yet again. He wanted to forget that he killed Sephiroth yet again. 

He laid awake that night, unable to fall asleep, and just prayed and hoped to ban this man to the furthest corner of his mind. He killed him… again…

… his former idol, the man he loved…

_Fuck!_

Tifa sighed quietly, handed him yet another drink, but before he could drink it down she placed a hand atop of his. Cloud looked up into the eyes of the person who understood. She has always understood him. She knew why he wanted to get drunk, why he didn’t join the celebrations of the people around him. And still, he found himself wishing the hand that covered his was bigger, covered by a leather glove. He hated himself for thinking that.

One look into Tifa’s eyes told him more than any of her words ever could. She wanted to help. To help him forget. If he knew how, if he didn’t despise himself for putting her through all of this, he would tell her how grateful he was, how much he appreciated her. And he hated to hurt her so much. He hated that he couldn’t appreciate her the way she wanted him to. But she knew… she always knew…

The hand slid away from his and Cloud drank the shot, slower than before but it didn’t make a difference either anyway. He placed the empty glass on the counter. He should’ve known this was gonna be a horrible day. A sleepless night in which his thoughts did nothing else but return to a silver-haired, former general of ShinRa and another very certain black-haired SOLDIER.

_Don’t think about Zack now_ , he told himself. It would bring nothing but more misery to his situation. And then he would probably try to drink himself to death…

He ignored the sounds around him, the conversations, the laughter of Barret telling the kids funny stories, of Yuffie helping Tifa… Everyone was happy, as they should be. Sephiroth was dead. Geostigma was gone. The planet was saved. It couldn’t be a better day for them.

Just not for him. Gaia, he was pathetic.

The door to the bar flew open and the smell of cigarettes instantly reached his nose. Damn enhanced senses… 

“Hey, how’s it going everyone?” Cid called into the bar before he came up to Cloud and patted him on the back.

“Hey, Spiky, the planet’s hero once again, huh?”

That was it. Cloud anything but shot upwards from the bar stool. He didn’t say a word, didn’t look at anyone, he simply turned around and stormed off. Only Tifa’s “Cid…” still reached his ears before he left. 

Cloud spotted his bike Fenrir in front of the bar, glistening in the sunlight and waiting for him. People watched it from a distance. They knew it was his bike. They knew him, everyone in this town knew him. Some kids pointed their fingers at him. Everyone wanted to see him. The person who saved them all yesterday. To them he was a hero. He hated it so much. But no one tried to approach him. Probably because his mood was perfectly visible on his face. He got onto Fenrir and without looking back he drove off.

He made the most out of his precious bike and reached the ruins of Midgar in no time and then his destination.

Aerith’s church.

The wood beneath his feet creaked quietly with every step he took. His gaze was lowered, blond strands of hair fell over his blue eyes as he passed the destroyed benches before he stopped in front of the little pool that had gathered because of Aerith’s rain. The water saved so many people yesterday, including himself.

Why hasn’t it been capable of helping _him_ too? 

Cloud lowered himself to the ground in front of the pool, pulled up his knees and looked into the clear water. He hated how this was the only place where he could truly think, where he could calm down, but also where everything came back to him, the memories, the feelings that coursed through his body like a stream of despair and helplessness. He didn’t want to feel like that anymore.

It’s the same sense of helplessness he felt when he found himself face to face with Sephiroth again. Gaia, how much had he wanted a different outcome, a different solution than killing him again? He knew a part of him died alongside Sephiroth in that moment. It was just too much…

Cloud’s hands clenched the fabric of his pants as he fought the dampness in his eyes before he slid his hands over his face, in a childish attempt to hide himself from the world and his own thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aerith sighed quietly as she watched Cloud from the Lifestream. She should have known he would return here after what happened. Even though she truly wished he could look forward again. But after yesterday.

Aerith knew what it did to him, she knew what he was thinking about. And she understood. She understood him so well. She had watched him last night. How sleep had refused to claim him, how broken his posture and gaze had been. She should have known he wouldn’t feel any different today.

_Isn’t there anything I can do?_ , she wondered. She was aware of her powers, of the limited control she had over the Lifestream, of this gift the Lifestream itself and the Cetra gave her. There had to be something she could do. She didn’t want to see Cloud suffer like this anymore. She knew neither his friends nor the future could give him the happiness he needed and deserved and no matter how strong she knew Cloud was, sooner or later he would break.

_I could…_ , she thought. There was an idea creeping up in her, growing bigger and bigger with each passing moment. She didn’t know if it would be the solution to all his problems, but…

_A few twists and turns there_. The thought refused to leave Aerith’s mind, even more so when she looked at the man sitting in the church again.

_Can I really make him go through this again?_

Maybe this idea really was the best she could do for the broken hero. She probably made the decision when the idea first came up already. She smiled. Aerith was sure this time it would be different.

She didn’t appear to him, but she approached his mind and softly spoke to the man.

“Cloud,” she whispered. She almost giggled when he got startled and looked up and around, but couldn’t spot her.

“Aerith?”

“I’m here,” she spoke to him in his mind, “You want things to change, don’t you?”

“More than anything,” Cloud whispered. The glance in his deep blue eyes as he looked down into the water was heartbreaking. But it gave Aerith all the confirmation she needed.

“I can help you.”

“How?!”

Aerith didn’t reply again. Instead she reached out with her hand, invisible to him, and gently placed it on his forehead, a gentle smile on her face. Cloud felt the soft touch, but before he could say anything or even protest, Aerith saw and sensed how the Lifestream engulfed him, cradled him gently but swiftly until she witnessed how Cloud fell unconscious.

It hurt her to do something like this to him, but it was the only way. She couldn’t think of any other way to give him another chance at forgiveness and happiness. She witnessed how the green and blue energy of the Lifestream covered Cloud in gentle twirls until nothing but faint streams of the energy remained in Cloud’s place.

_Good luck, Cloud._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tifa grew more concerned with each passing minute Cloud spent away. By now the sun was about to set and he still hasn’t come back. She just prayed he would come back for the night. She didn’t want him to distance himself again, not after they made so much good progress within the last few days. Even though she could understand him after the outcome of the last day.

Tifa kept thinking and looked around the bar. It was emptier than a few hours before. Most people have left the early celebrations. She still had a few hours until the bar would get crowded again. Marlene and Denzel were busy playing at a table, Yuffie was still there too. Maybe she could…

“Yuffie,” she said. The young woman grinned at her from her table, “can you take over for a little bit? I won’t be long,” Tifa continued.

“Sure thing! Leave it to me!”

“Thank you. I owe you one.”

Yuffie grinned but made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “I’m just gonna treat myself to some of your snacks while you’re gone.”

Tifa laughed but didn’t say anything in return. She put away her rag away and made her way out of the bar. It was this moment that she was truly grateful that Barret let her use his car as long as he was still in Edge.

There was only one place where Cloud would be right now.

And when she reached the old church in the ruins of Midgar a sense of relief settled over her once she saw Cloud’s beloved Fenrir in front of it. She observed it for a moment when she reached it, saw Cloud’s phone dangling from it. As usual… Tifa guessed some things truly didn’t change. She sighed quietly and entered the church.

“Cloud?” she called. She didn’t see him anywhere and even when she looked around there was no sign he’s ever been here at all. But his bike was in front of the church. He must be here.

“Cloud?!” she called again.

“He’s not here.”

Tifa froze when she heard the so familiar voice and turned around almost in slow-motion. There she was. Aerith. Standing next to a pillar of the church, hands behind her back and a smile on her face while a faint green glow surrounded her.

“Hi.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hi,” Aerith said and watched Tifa’s reaction to her with an amused expression on her face. She actually didn’t have much time. She couldn’t tell her a lot about what was happening, she had things to attend to. Tifa opened and closed her mouth, but for a moment no words left her lips, as if she didn’t know what to say.

“Where is he?” The question was hesitant and quiet.

“He’s safe. But he probably won’t return for a long time,” Aerith replied with a smile, which she hoped would put Tifa at ease. 

“Listen, unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time, but please, don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine.” 

“What should I do?” Tifa asked, a look of confusion on her face.

“Just wait for him. I’m sorry, I have to leave now. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”

One final smile and Aerith vanished into the Lifestream. The truth was that Aerith couldn’t be sure whether or not Cloud would be okay. She just had to believe in him. And try her best to make it easier for him, even if she couldn’t do a lot anymore from this point.


	2. Back Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> I wanted to thank you all for the lovely feedback I got on the first chapter! Every single kudos, comment, bookmark, subscription or just hit made my days 💚 I really appreciate that you all took the time to engage with this fic in one way or another 💚
> 
> I hope you will enjoy the new one too! 💚

Cloud didn’t notice right away that something was off. He only noticed that he was lying on something soft and warm and prayed he would just fall asleep again. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept so well. Cloud didn’t open his eyes, didn’t want to miss this warmth and comfort, even though his mind was more awake with each passing second and registered more and more. He seemed to be lying on a bed, though the last thing he remembered was his attempt to get drunk, driving to the church, talking to Aerith and then… darkness. The next thing he noticed was that he wasn’t alone. He couldn’t tell how many but there were people with him in the room. Was it Tifa? One of the others? Did someone find him in the church after Aerith was there? He still didn’t open his eyes, not even when he let out an involuntary sigh and the voices fell silent. Cloud forced himself to remain calm. He wouldn’t open his eyes, just wait to figure out who was there with him. If they were a threat he could still react accordingly.

“Hm, you think he’s waking up?” a voice asked and Cloud heard how someone moved, but he couldn’t tell who it was nor to where they moved. His senses seemed to be much less sharp, much less focused. He hated what the Mako did to him over the years but without his enhanced senses he also kinda felt… helpless.

Something was definitely wrong.

“If he doesn’t wake up soon he’ll miss class,” another voice said and Cloud thought he was having a heart attack.

_Class?!_

Cloud shot up in bed only to squeeze his eyes shut as a blinding pain erupted in his face, the pained sound of the other person escaped him under the throbbing of his nose. Did anyone lean over his bed?! And did he truly just collide with that person?! Where were his damn senses that would have prevented this?! Where were his reflexes that would have made him avoid that?!

“Oh shit…” the other person cursed under their breath. Cloud dared to open his own eyes finally, a hand still grasping his hurting nose, even though he was scared of what he would see. 

In that moment he wasn’t sure whether his eyes widened or if he just sat there frozen in shock. He stared directly into a room and into two teenager’s faces. But this room was familiar. This kind of room only existed in one place. ShinRa.

_Quarters for recruits…_

The realization hit him harder than the collision before and one moment later Cloud has leapt up from the bed and has locked himself in the attached bathroom. 

_This isn’t happening, this is not real… it can’t be… it’s gotta be a dream…_ Cloud thought as he breathed rapidly through his mouth and braced his hands on the sink in front of him. He was trembling. Cloud splashed his face with some cold water, but even this didn’t make him think clearer, let alone change his situation.

“Cloud, are you alright?” a voice sounded from the other room. Cloud ignored it. He tried to calm himself, clenched the cool material of the sink before he raised his head to look at himself in the mirror. Only to freeze again.

_No…_

He remembered that face. The pale blue eyes, the lack of a glow from the Mako, the softened, younger facial features, his blond hair livelier than he was used to, a bright golden blond…

It was the face of his 15-year-old self.

“But… this is impossible,” he whispered startled by his own reflection. This was the face that portrayed the beginning of it all. This is the face that still had to go through everything, that still had to see Hojo’s face everyday, had to endure the experiments… the face that saw him for the first time in person.

Cloud looked down at his body. He wore nothing but boxer shorts, his legs and arms were too thin, too small… they felt weird. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. But how… How was this- Cloud paused, the realization hit him like a comet materia.

_Aerith._ She had talked to him, he remembered now, she said she could help him.

“She couldn’t have sent me back… she couldn’t…” he whispered, confused and perplexed. Aerith touched his forehead, he had felt her touch before the darkness came.

And, apparently, this was the outcome. Cloud was no idiot. He knew what it meant to be here again. He knew he was stuck in the middle of ShinRa’s training program, he was nothing but a recruit - a nobody - who still had to face Nibelheim…

“Cloud, before you faint in there, please give us a warning first,” the same voice from before came from behind the door. Cloud struggled with his memory, the face he saw before running into the bathroom, the voice. He forgot a lot about his time at ShinRa, it’s what he wanted, but he should remember the name of his fellow recruits, especially ones that were as… bad as he had been.

“I’m okay… Taiki,” he replied, closing his eyes and praying it was the right name.

“Then hurry up, we wanna get breakfast before class!” Taiki said.

Cloud breathed in and out again and again. This was no dream. This was real. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Now he had to adjust, despite how the thought almost scared him. First, he had to figure out which date it was and then he would need to figure out whether or not Zack was his friend already.

Cloud opened the door to the bathroom with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and reentered the small room. Empty, dull grey walls, three small beds, a closet, three tiny desks… If Cloud dug in the deepest corners of his memories he probably would’ve found this exact picture too. This wasn’t different then. Taiki still rubbed the bridge of his nose, so he was the one he collided with. The kid looked almost goofy with his black disheveled hair, dark eyes and the pouting expression on his face. Kaito looked much more annoyed, dyed white hair slid back, dark eyes directed at Taiki, arms crossed in front of his chest. From all Cloud recalled these two used to be the ‘chaotic idiots’ during his time at ShinRa. Always together, constantly got into trouble and had to do night watch all the time as a penalty. Maybe that was why Cloud still remembered them somewhat. He himself had never interacted with them. But then again, actually he never truly interacted with anyone. 

_Aside from Zack…_ The thought had a bitter taste to it. Still, now he was sharing a room with them? That was not how it has been back then.

“Cloud? You still with us, buddy?” 

Cloud shook his head as Taiki waved a hand in front of his face. He knew he probably stared at these two just now, but he didn’t care, he probably couldn’t have prevented himself from doing so anyway, even if he had wanted to.

“I’m fine,” he said. It was only then that he noticed these two were already dressed in their uniforms while he was standing there just in his boxer shorts.

“Great, then hurry it up! I’m starving and I don’t wanna be late again because of that.” Taiki grabbed Cloud’s shoulders and anything but pushed him towards the closet. Cloud shook off his hands and sighed as he saw the familiar uniform. The experienced moves with which he put on the uniform surprised even himself. He didn’t look at himself in the mirror. He didn’t want to see himself in that attire. He didn’t want to see the person who would have to face Nibelheim eventually.

_Will every thought ultimately lead there? Probably…_ The thought sounded depressing, even to himself, but he also didn’t know how to stop it.

“Can we?” Kaito said, his voice was much calmer than Taiki’s. Said boy nodded eagerly before they left the room. Cloud followed, the uneasiness in his body made every step feel like his legs weighed a ton.

They walked through the floors which were dedicated to accommodations for recruits and other lower rank personnel. He followed the two boys through the hallways, through the entrance hall of the floor with the lounge area(just a bunch of low comfort chairs and tables), the cheap vending machines, the room with the only TV on this floor…

Dear Gaia, everything was just like it was eight years ago…

They left the building of the ShinRa complex of buildings and entered another one through a skyway. Cloud didn’t pay his surroundings much attention. He still couldn’t believe this. This just couldn’t be. They reached the mess hall shortly after and it was there that the place got more crowded. The mess hall was a wide open space, full of round tables, while the place to pick up food was located at the far end of it. The place was full of recruits, security guards and 3rd and 2nd class SOLIDERs, he even spotted a Turk at one of the tables. But no SOLDIER 1st class nor any other higher position. Those people probably had their own kitchen, either in their quarters or another mess hall somewhere that a mere recruit wouldn’t know about.

“Let’s get some food, we don’t have much time left,” said Kaito and pointed at the queue line in front of the food counter, which reminded Cloud why he used to hate the mess hall. He was too short, too slim and weak to put up with the much stronger people in line who couldn’t wait for their food and cut in line constantly. So much for discipline in the military... In theory he should know how to deal with those knowing what he knew today, Tifa showed him some neat hand movements too, but this was something he probably shouldn’t attempt right now. So, he let himself get dragged along until he finally had a tray with… something on it.

He wasn’t hungry at all, his stomach felt horrible, but he didn’t know what the day would bring and he assumed he should eat something, so he forced himself to. It tasted as horrible as it looked and exactly the way he remembered, merely the coffee was bearable at least.

A thought came to mind and Cloud looked around the mess hall until he finally spotted a clock above the door.

_Mon - February 9th 2002 - 7:29_

He almost choked on his coffee. February 2002?! That would mean less than 8 months until Nibelheim. And less than 6 months until the SOLDIER entrance exam. That was… if everything went exactly as it did back then.

_Shit._

Taiki began rambling about how he thought it would be the coolest thing ever if he got his own fanclub once he became a 1st class SOLDIER, before he randomly switched topics to how much he hated their class “battle strategies” today… Kaito only listened but didn’t comment, while Cloud was completely out of it. He found it strange enough already that he was somewhat affiliated with these two. Were they… friends?

Shortly before the beginning of their first class Cloud managed to figure out they would start the day off with “materia training”, meaning how it was created and how one used it, then they would have “battle strategies” and followed by “sword fight training”. Cloud already anticipated he would be bored out of his mind all day, but he had to pay attention. If he truly was stuck here he needed to know what exactly the recruits knew at this point, so he could adapt.

_I don’t want this. I don’t even wanna be here. Aerith, why?_

But he knew that thought was futile. He had no chance of getting out of here. This wasn’t a dream, this was reality.

Harsh reality.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cloud walked through the hallways of the ShinRa headquarters by himself. Classes haven’t been that bad after all. Materia class was boring but amusing to witness how other recruits entirely failed at creating any, though he had to admit that Taiki didn’t seem to have an issue with it at all.

_Compared to me… Did I ever even manage to create a proper one?_

Battle strategies was too easy. Fighting three opponents all by yourself was this week’s topic and well, that was his daily life, so nothing new there. Though he remembered being horrible at it when he was an actual recruit. And sword fighting was almost fun, at least it came close. There was one major issue he came across, however. This body, untrained and weak as it was, didn’t work as his body as an adult. Too little muscles to draw strength from, too little speed… Still, he beat his sparring partner easily, which got him his first “since when are you so good”.

_I should be careful_ , he reprimanded himself. 

Cloud didn’t pay any real attention to where he was going. The fact that he truly was back at ShinRa, the ShinRa from a time when it was still thriving, sent his mind in a downward spiral. And Aerith was the one who sent him back. But how? The Lifestream? And this wasn’t even the biggest question he had. More important was the ‘why’. What was he supposed to do? He was a recruit. A teenager who was failing all his classes. A nobody. If it had something to do with Sephiroth there was nothing he could do. Sephiroth didn’t know him. He didn’t have a lot of time to think about something either. And most of all, there was nothing he could do to keep himself or Sephiroth away from Nibelheim.

There was nothing he could do.

_But I can’t go through this again… I can’t bear it again. Never again._

Did he really have to stay here for this whole time? Did he truly have to relive Nibelheim again?

_I won’t do this again. I’d rather die than suffering through this again… I can’t do this. But if I’m not there to go to Nibelheim, what would happen? Sephiroth would survive. I couldn’t be there to help stop Meteor. The planet would die._

He knew he could never let his friends die willingly but... Did he truly have to play the hero again and sacrifice himself for the greater good?

His situation was hopeless either way and the feeling of despair spreading through every fiber of his being almost made him sob. He refused to let any tears fall. Cloud slid his hands through his hair as he reached another hallway, a very long one that parted at the end to the left and right, but at this point he had no idea where he was, when the sound of rustling clothes and steps reached his ears. His head snapped up, his reflexes, even though he could barely utilize those now, were still telling him that this could be a potential threat.

He looked up just in time to see a flicker of silver pass the end of the hallway.

Cloud believed his heart stopped beating.

His eyes widened and he ignored the sudden, unexpected urge to run down the hallway like a teenager in puberty(the irony of that thought escaped him in that moment). His breath became shallow as he very slowly, hesitantly, walked forwards, down the hallway until he reached the corner. He peeked around it carefully, deep down he realized how ridiculous this was, but all that went out the window as he stared directly at Sephiroth’s back.

Long silver hair that flowed down in his back in a gentle stream, the edge of the familiar leather coat moved softly as the man walked upright down the hallway, there was a sense of superiority in the way he carried himself that captivated Cloud ever since he saw him for the first time.

He almost didn’t notice how Sephiroth paused when he reached the next corner and Cloud realized too late it was because he got spotted.

_Shitshitshit._

He retreated. He was sure Sephiroth didn’t see him, just noticed the presence of someone else, but Cloud still hated himself for being so unwary and for his naivety. Of course Sephiroth would notice him. He noticed everything. He was ShinRa’s highest ranking SOLDIER for a reason. A mere recruit couldn’t possibly escape him. Luckily for him Sephiroth didn’t come after him. And when the adrenaline calmed down Cloud allowed himself to slide down the wall of an empty hallway and he remained there for a while. His heart was racing, his cheeks were burning, his hands felt sweaty…

_He’s truly here. He’s alive. Alive. Gaia, I…_

And just for a moment the despair and hopelessness made way for a shimmer of relief and happiness. Cloud tried to cling to this feeling with all he had.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In Shiva’s name, a week passed by faster than Cloud anticipated. The classes were boring, too easy and he struggled to keep himself from saying or doing things he shouldn’t even know about yet.

Also he figured that Taiki and Kaito had more to do with him than he guessed. They asked him to accompany them to go to town today, they wanted to be on a team with him in class. Even though Cloud was glad there was someone there who wanted him around - unlike back then - he still declined their offer. He barely knew them and before he didn’t figure out what he truly needed to know he wouldn’t accompany them during their free time. Cloud was afraid that they would sooner or later notice that he wasn’t the same Cloud they met months ago…

And he still had no idea about Zack. Cloud always spent the rest of his evenings in the training halls to work on his countless flaws this new (or rather old) body brought with it. His body was weak, he barely had any muscle mass, his body was incapable of keeping up with his mind when he executed certain moves… His only chance at balancing his lack of strength was with agility and speed, which also was something he still had to work on.

For now though it was the weekend and Cloud found himself wandering the streets of Midgar’s Sector 8. Seeing this town now, in its full glory, was an odd feeling. He had witnessed how this town got destroyed before. Walking through it now seemed like an illusion, a dream.

That this was his new reality made it even more strange.

Cloud crossed his arms in front of his chest while he was on his way to Sector 1. He wore a white t-shirt with a horribly colorful print on it and a pair of equally terrible jeans. He truly had to buy himself some proper clothes once he got the chance.

_I liked wearing this? What was wrong with me?!_

He didn’t pay attention to the people around him, didn’t really look at the impressive buildings of this town, until he reached the train station. Cloud let himself fall onto one of the cheap metal chairs in the train and waited for it to finally move. Time passed, in which Cloud walked mindlessly through Sector 5’s slums. There was a strange sense of familiarity walking down these roads but Cloud also felt detached from it all in a way. He would need time to truly accept it as his new reality.

His thoughts only returned to the present when the church came into view and a wave of relief crashed over him. Maybe he could get some answers here, it was the only reason he even went on this trip today. But as soon as the relief came it disappeared and was replaced by a freezing cold settling around his heart. What if she didn’t recognize him? He shook his head, tried to bury the thought. He had to do this. If Aerith didn’t know what was going on he would be lost.

Cloud looked up the giant doors of the church. It felt good to be here. It was nice to see the church again and with shaking arms did he push the door open, before he stepped into it, his steps slow and cautious.

And then he saw her.

She crouched on the ground, her back to him, in the middle of her little flower bed. Her hands slid over the yellow and white petals like a gentle breeze, her brown hair almost glowed in the soft light as it fell down her back, and Cloud knew, even if he couldn’t see her face, that she was smiling. He didn’t know what to say or do. Should he say something? But his feet carried him forwards all by themselves until he reached the flowers. And her.

It was then that Aerith stood up and turned around.

She was beautiful. With the waves of hair framing her face, with her shimmering green eyes so full of joy and kindness, just like when he met her two years ago, just a few years younger.

“Hello,” she said, a smile on her face as she clasped her hands behind her back and took a step towards Cloud, who had no idea what to say or even think.

“Hello,” he finally managed. The urge to hug her, to drown her in questions and apologize for everything he’s done wrong was overwhelming, but instead he just stared at her.

“It’s good to see you, Cloud.”

She… she knew his name. She remembered! Cloud didn’t dare to make a move, too overcome with thoughts and feelings that it rendered him absolutely motionless. She was alive. She stood in front of him. Talked to him. Just this thought alone was almost enough to make him forget how much he failed her in the past.

Aerith’s smile seemed to grow wider, probably because his emotions were perfectly visible on his face, and without warning she reached out her arms and pulled him into her. Cloud closed his eyes, but reciprocated the gesture without thinking twice about it, he clung to this moment, that this was real. He couldn’t bear it if this turned out to be nothing but an illusion…

Aerith eventually pulled back from him and her smile became weaker.

“Cloud, I’m sorry.”

He blinked. Why was she apologizing? What for? 

“I’m sorry that I did this without really asking how you felt about this,” she said, but Cloud shook his head.

“... it’s okay. I guess I did give you my permission,” he replied, even though this wasn’t the whole truth. With a future that still awaited him… he didn’t wanna be here.

“You have questions, right?” there it was again, the playful smile on her face. He nodded.

“Why?”

“Because you were so sad. Even after everything you still felt horrible for what you’ve done, even though it was the right thing to do. I just wanted to help.”

He didn’t reply, just looked at the flowers at their feet.

“Hey, you’ll see. A lot will be different,” she smiled, “but there might also be a few issues.”

“...what do you mean?” Cloud hated the sense of dread that immediately washed over him.

“I did change a few things, although some things will occur just like before.” Aerith’s voice got a bit quieter by the end.

“Nibelheim…” Cloud whispered. Aerith nodded. He stared at the ground. He knew it would happen. He knew his purpose of being here was to prevent it from going down the way it did before, but… at this point he didn’t think he could even stand going there again at all.

“But you did get a chance to get what you truly wished for,” Aerith said then. He looked up at her.

_What I truly wished for?_ His mind immediately drifted towards a man with silver hair and piercing eyes that glowed like emeralds in the sun. Wishful thinking… How was this…

“What will happen after Nibelheim? Will I be sent back to the future again or will I stay?”

“I can’t give you details, I’m interfering too much with the Lifestream already, but no matter how Nibelheim will play out, it will end with Nibelheim. I can’t tell you how, I’m sorry.” She looked at him with a gaze full of sympathy. Cloud took a deep breath. So one way or another the Nibelheim mission would happen. He truly had to go through this again… Aerith seemed to sense his distress and cupped his cheek with a smile. Cloud tried to reciprocate the smile, though he assumed he failed.

He knew he couldn’t hold Aerith accountable for any of this and he never would. Just maybe there has been a tiny shimmer of hope in the back of his mind that Nibelheim could be avoided altogether, something that would prevent him from having to play the hero again. A role he never wanted and that didn’t suit him.

“Don’t worry, Cloud, I’m sure it’ll be just fine,” Aerith said. And this time Cloud managed to smile. Aerith was alive, she was here with him. It was more than he ever hoped for. And more than he deserved. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cloud stared at the dark ceiling of the room he slept in. Taiki and Kaito were both asleep already, more or less quietly so.

It was strange, now that he was lying here, but he felt incredibly alone. Even with that almost cheerful conversation with Aerith earlier he couldn’t shake this feeling off. He couldn’t be with her 24/7, especially not just so he had someone to truly talk to… And even the fact that she and Sephiroth were both alive and well couldn’t erase this feeling from his mind.

He was gonna be alone in this. For months to come. He would never be able to fit in. He wasn’t fifteen. His body was, but his mind was that of an adult man in his twenties. He didn’t fit in here, he shouldn’t even be here.

_I don’t want this. I want things to change but… this hurts. All of this hurts so much. I wanted to forget all of this but now…_

Cloud rolled onto his side, pulled the blanket up to his chin. He was alone.

He didn’t know Zack, he didn’t know what he could do to even meet him. It was easy back then, they met on a mission but this mission should’ve happened already months ago. So he never met Zack… The only person who ever cared about him here at ShinRa and he had no idea how to even get to see him…

Cloud breathed in and out deeply, tried to calm himself but eventually rolled over again to press his face into the pillow. He didn’t want to be here. He fought the rest of the night with the tears that threatened to spill until the morning came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 💚  
> A little note about Taiki and Kaito: They're supporting characters. They're not gonna be main characters in any way, but occasionally they'll be responsible for advancing the plot and hopefully to add a bit of fun to Cloud's otherwise very serious situation.  
> Next chapter we'll meet Zack and Sephiroth, so stay tuned~  
> See ya! 💚


	3. Who are you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> thank you all so much for all the lovely feedback on the last chapter, no matter in which way. It just means a lot to me that this fic is something you guys enjoy. It's also truly motivating to keep working on the translation 💚
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter! 💚

The following week passed Cloud by in a blur. He sat in class bored and with a gloomy feeling filling his mind and soul. The only ray of hope in these days was the sword fight training and the upcoming weekend to get away from this environment as much as he could.

He walked next to Taiki and Kaito on his way to the training areas. He had spoken to them a bit before and managed to figure out they were originally from Mideel. He almost spilled that city’s fate in a few years to them, but barely caught himself when he was reminded where and when he was. Also Taiki showed a talent for using magic while he practically failed at anything else. Kaito was the opposite, capable and strong but bad(or... not as good) at using magic. And they were both lazy. Cloud didn’t have anything against them, but he had no interest engaging with them any more than he had to. These two were still actually fifteen and they both acted as such. Cloud couldn’t confide in them, he couldn’t tell them about how he felt or what he was thinking about. It was neither their business nor was it appropriate for him to do so.

And still no sign of Zack. He tried to look for him, walked through the buildings, looked up data in the hopes of just seeing the SOLDIER even once, to see that he was also alive and well…

… but nothing. Cloud couldn’t describe how much he wanted to see the man again.

“Hey, Cloud, you listening?” Taiki said and Cloud blinked in confusion.

“What?”

Taiki raised an eyebrow. “You’re acting weird lately, you know that?”

Cloud’s face fell, his mouth opened but no words left his lips. Shit… Was it really that obvious? But he assumed as such and he really shouldn’t be surprised. Taiki may have been young and naive, but he wasn’t stupid. Cloud remembered how he used to act eight years ago and if he also had been like this before he got here… he couldn’t blame Taiki for noticing such a drastic shift in mood and attitude. But still, he couldn’t tell him and Kaito what was happening…

“Sorry, I think I don’t feel that good,” he replied, which wasn’t even a lie.

“Hm, but not because of the test, huh?” Kaito said then.

“The what?!” this time Cloud spoke faster than he could think.

“This is what we were talking about. Nothing official, but there’s the rumor we’re gonna have a practical test soon.” Taiki crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling of the training hall.

Cloud looked at the ground. A test?! He didn’t know anything about that. Did he forget about that? Did they have this regularly? If so he would need to phrase his next question very carefully as to not raise even more suspicion.

“What kind of test?” he dared to ask. Taiki shrugged his shoulders.

“They say a few SOLDIERs will surprise us during training soon and fight us. Sure, we’re gonna lose but the point seems to be collecting data about our current abilities or something. Afterwards they supposedly put us into small groups which will be assigned to missions.”

Cloud didn’t reply. They were going to be assigned to missions soon? Nibelheim wouldn’t be a part of that, he knew that much at least but still… a test? With SOLDIERs as their opponents? 

Maybe there’s a chance that… this sudden spark of hope within him raised his mood a bit, even though the possibility that a 1st class SOLDIER would join for this was lower than zero…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was only a short while until they were in the hall, armed with cheap swords for practice with the order to warm up themselves. Barely anyone aside from the recruits was using the hall at the moment, which gave each of them quite a bit of space. Cloud stood a bit away from the majority of the group and held his sword with calm and relaxed hands. He repeated the moves they’ve been taught, which wouldn’t have done anything to warm up his real body. Technically he was aware this was indeed his real body too, but it didn’t feel like it. Maybe that feeling would eventually settle in, though he wasn’t sure if he even wanted that.

_These moves are ridiculous_ , he thought. These moves were for recruits who barely learned to hold a sword. They were useless in an actual battle. Cloud recognized the flaws in these moves within a heartbeat. Any decently trained opponent was capable of overcoming them.

And still, it felt good to be able to do this again. Holding and moving a sword calmed him down, even relaxed him. He enjoyed how his body and mind worked together to pull off any move and it didn’t take long until Cloud longed to do some actual practice. Something that was familiar to him, something that didn’t make him feel different… He did figure out within the last few days how much this body could handle and that there still was a lot to get out of it with training, but using all the moves he truly knew was out of the question, even in theory.

Cloud noticed how the others stared at him. Sword fighting has always been something he was pretty capable of, but he remembered that he used to be exhausted and in need of a break within minutes back then…

He ignored the looks they gave him.

“Alright, ladies! Tag team and then get started!” Sergeant Hartwell - a 2nd Class SOLDIER - ordered while walking through the group with a grumpy look on his face. Cloud still remembered him. Hartwell was the kinda guy who picked the weakest from the team and tried his best to demean them in front of everyone because of it. Usually it used to be him. It hasn’t happened since he got here and Cloud had little intention of letting Hartwell do as he pleased.

… but he also didn’t want to risk getting reprimanded or end up doing night watch.

Cloud sighed before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over it warily only to meet Kaito’s dark eyes. It made Cloud wonder what his eyes would look like once he got the Mako injections. 

“Partners?” the teenager asked and Cloud nodded.

“Sure.”

Training with Kaito was much better than training with any other random recruit. The boy knew how to handle a sword and Cloud already knew that one day he would be an actual challenge to beat in a fight. A short look to the side showed Cloud that Taiki was training with another recruit. A boy with dark blond hair, physically taller and stronger than Cloud and most likely a bit older too(well, the body at least). If Cloud remembered right the guy’s name was Ryan Johnson.

Cloud and Kaito took their positions to start their fight to practice those useless movements in an actual sword fight. Cloud almost laughed at that thought. All of them would be dead within moments if all they had was those moves.

As they started Cloud held his sword in both hands, how he was used to, swung his sword just like he learned it. Kaito did the same, although he only held the sword in his right hand, his movements were much smoother than Cloud’s, they looked effortless. He wondered, but the way Kaito moved his sword Cloud could imagine he would eventually switch to a sword like a Katana should he become a SOLDIER 1st class one day. Just like a certain other SOLDIER…

_Dear Gaia, does everything have to come back to him?!_ Cloud wanted to groan out loud but he held himself back. Of course it has to… that’s how it’s always been.

The clashing of their swords pulled Cloud out of his thoughts. The fight was calm, almost relaxed even. Kaito only did the moves they learned so far, but eventually Cloud caught himself performing a move not exactly on the level of the recruits, a little twist of his wrists, a small turn on his heels...

And within moments Cloud’s sword rested against Kaito’s neck, his own one lying on the ground. Cloud lowered his sword immediately.

“Wow, where did you learn this?” Kaito asked immediately without alerting Hartwell.

“What?” Cloud asked, his lips moving faster than his mind. He knew exactly what the teenager meant.

“That move. They didn’t teach us that yet. I don’t even think they’ll teach us that during training at all,” Kaito said. He was impressed, surprised but impressed, it was all over him and Cloud felt a sense of dread creep up in his mind.

_You’re supposed to be a low recruit who doesn’t get anything right…_

“Reflexes, I guess.” Cloud shrugged his shoulders. Kaito didn’t reply again, just nodded and Cloud was grateful for it.

Cloud wondered if he imagined Ryan Johnson’s scowl.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zack Fair strolled through the hallways on his way to the training hall, the thin folder containing information regarding some kind of mission tucked under his arm, it didn’t really interest him. It was just his luck that he was at the Director’s office right when said director needed to have a file delivered in the _traditional_ way.

Hey, he was a SOLDIER 1st class! Why did he have to play errand boy now? Couldn’t that do someone else? Like a secretary? Not to mention that he’d be off by now. He reported back to Lazard, brought Sephiroth the report after, but now he was supposed to be free for the rest of the day. But noooo…

_One more lost hour… Yippee-Ki-Yay!_

He took comfort in the thought that he was supposed to have the weekend off unless an important assignment came up. He would spend a lovely day with Aerith, maybe he could even persuade Sephiroth to go out for a drink. The chances of success were probably lower than winning the lottery however.

_There’s always a first time._

But for now he had to deliver that folder. The door of the training hall slid open in front of him and the SOLDIER let his eyes slide through the gigantic hall.

Recruits, was the first thought that came to mind as he saw the group of teenagers in the middle of the hall. Zack could’ve burst into laughter at the sight of them. With those techniques they couldn’t even beat a Moogle(Zack would never dare to lay a hand on one of those adorable things!). But of course, those movements weren’t meant for actual fights, they were supposed to give the recruits a feel for the sword as their weapon. Those recruits who learned how to treat their swords as extensions of their arms would have much bigger chances of ever surviving a real fight. Or even just help them learn how to use actual techniques in the next few weeks and months.

Some of these recruits were still far from reaching that point, but some other were handling their swords almost professionally.

Such as the blond recruit on the left of the group.

The teenager moved so smoothly, there almost was an elegance in his movements, that it reminded Zack of much better trained and higher ranked SOLDIER. Zack’s eyes sparkled, amused and impressed as the blonde recruit executed moves which were definitely above the level of a mere recruit. The group’s sergeant watched him warily, but he was taken aback, Zack noticed. He himself was surprised too as he watched the teenager. He seemed to be ignoring his surroundings, entirely focused on the training and disregarding anything else while executing moves and techniques he shouldn’t be capable of yet.

_Who are you?_

Zack knew he was grinning and he shifted his weight from one feet to another. Such rare talent among recruits. He was… captivated. 

_Interesting._

The SOLDIER shook his head before he looked to the side where he spotted the SOLDIER he had to deliver the folder to. He threw one last look at the blond recruit…

… and found himself caught by a pair of clear blue eyes which stared at him. Such a lonely and sad gaze which reminded Zack immediately of Sephiroth’s whenever he thought Zack wasn’t looking(obviously he would deny it but Zack knew these moments existed, mostly after certain… situations however).

_Who_ are _you?!_

Zack didn’t want to imagine what that look meant for a teenager. It was far too old on such a young face. The SOLDIER felt sorry for the guy. What could’ve happened to a boy that age that he developed such skills, that he had such a look on his face? One way or another, he was a fighter with obvious talent and skills that Zack considered too fascinating to just leave it alone. He would figure out who that recruit was and why such a gaze hid behind a young face like his.

But right now he really had to deliver that folder…

He had spotted the SOLDIER before, so delivering it didn’t take as much time anymore but Zack was still glad once it was done. He let his head hang for a moment. He threw one last look at the group of recruits. The blond boy was training again and didn't look in his direction anymore. An idea came to his mind.

_Yippee-Ki-Yay!_

It was time he paid a certain someone a visit. His last one was already 45 minutes ago after all!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was Cloud’s third match he won against Kaito and by now he reached a point where his - barely existent - muscles began to protest. He felt how his arms trembled, how beads of sweat ran down his forehead, but he didn’t reach the point where he had to stop. Training wasn’t over yet either.

He heard the sound of the doors to the hall opening, but he had to block Kaito’s attack. He countered it with a swing of his sword.

“Hey look, it’s a SOLDIER 1st class,” one of the recruits murmured. Cloud didn’t pay attention to it. Those were normal reactions to those ranks, that’s how he used to react as well after all. A few comments were added by others, such as “woah, so cool!” or “that’s what I’m gonna be one day”, but Cloud and Kaito kept sparring.

For a while at least because eventually Kaito stopped and looked at the SOLDIER as well. Cloud rolled his eyes but followed everyone’s stares.

Cloud froze in place.

_That’s… Zack!_

He was younger than the last time he saw him, but that was the Zack he remembered. That black hair, the lone strand falling into his face, those Mako blue eyes, but his face looked serious, as if he was observing Cloud.

And he was looking at him! Cloud stood rooted to the spot, he couldn’t move as he held the SOLDIER’s gaze from across the hall. And somewhere deep inside Cloud was glad about that, because the urge of running and throw his arms around the guy were difficult to ignore.

_He’s alive… He’s here… I… dear Gaia… is this real…_

Still, Cloud felt somewhat uncomfortable. As long as he remembered Zack always tried to smile, to have a warm, open expression on his face, but this… this was a wary look, a scrutinizing gaze, his mouth formed nothing but a straight line.

_We aren’t friends, idiot. Why would he be smiling at you?!_

It didn’t matter however. Zack was alive, Aerith was alive, Sephiroth was alive and Nibelheim was still months away. And for the first time since he got here, he felt a surge of hope within him. He wouldn’t let any of them die, he wouldn’t allow Nibelheim to happen all over again, even if he died trying.

Zack finally turned away and Cloud was forced to continue his sparring or else Hartwell would sign him up for night watch duty tonight…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zack walked through the ShinRa headquarters on his way to the general’s office even though he left it barely an hour ago. Then again, he spent more time in Sephiroth’s office than in his own accommodation. He pressed his hand on the field that opened the metal door to the office and let out a cheerful “hellooo”.

There was no reaction from Sephiroth. He didn’t even look up from his huge desk, covered in papers, folders and documents, all organized to an almost embarrassing degree.

_Probably even in alphabetical order too._

Zack strolled through the office as if he just got home and let himself fall into the leathern chair in front of the desk. Still no reaction. Sephiroth just slid the pen in his left hand across the papers.

_Someone didn’t read the part about having a lunch break in their contract_ , Zack thought. That was… if any of them had a normal contract. Sephiroth as a SOLDIER 1st class and sorta being the general could take breaks whenever he wanted, but then paperwork would pile up even more. Zack wondered if he even knew how one spelled the word “break”.

_Someone needs more friends, Yippee-Ki-Yay!_

“Sooo, what’s up?” Zack asked eventually, a grin plastered on his face. Sephiroth’s hand stopped for a mere moment, before he continued working. 

“As far as I know, Zackary,” the man started and Zack cringed. Sephiroth only ever used his full name if a) he was annoyed or b) his mood was so sour he’d rather be on a mission killing things to vent. Zack didn’t like either option. “You’ve been here 56 minutes and 37 seconds ago,” Sephiroth said. 

_Ooooh I hate it when you take the time_ , Zack thought, but the smile remained on his face.

“Well listen, do you know what could’ve happened in that time? So for example a new war could’ve started somewhere, the president could notice he needs to go on a diet or-”

“Zack.”

“-gigantic, transforming robots could invade the planet or they could’ve implemented a national holdiay dedicated to Chocobos or-”

“Zackary.”

Said SOLDIER stopped and smiled at the man behind the desk. Sephiroth had stopped writing and looked at him with a look that could’ve frozen Shiva herself. Ha! But not Zack Fair!

“Yes?”

“What do you want?”

He grinned. He’d been waiting for that question. This way Sephiroth would at least listen to him, he’d ignore him during it, but Zack knew the man too well at this point.

“Sooo, I had to deliver this stupid folder to a SOLDIER and I was at the training hall for it. The recruits were sparring there. And well one of them, I don’t know his name, but… in Ifrit’s name, I’ve never seen a recruit with such skills. He pulled off moves our SOLDIERs 3rd class or something are capable of. I mean, it seemed as if he got completely lost in the fight… He was really good is what I’m saying. Not that the techniques were all perfect, but he moved almost gracefully, he knew what he was doing.” Zack stopped and took a deep breath. 

“He didn’t seem like a recruit, you get me? I didn’t see that much, sure, but if I compare and adjust his current level… then,” Zack stopped again and tried to catch Sephiroth’s eyes but no luck, “give him time and more training and he could at least keep up with you.”

Sephiroth’s pen stopped moving and Zack observed the man. He knew Sephiroth couldn’t resist this bait. He rarely ever faced a real challenge and if there was the chance of facing one, even if it needed more time and preparation, he wouldn’t back down from it. The issue was that Zack had no clue who that boy was… not even a name. He only knew that he wanted to know him as well and he wanted to figure out what the boy was truly capable of.

“Any data?” Zack almost flinched when Sephiroth pulled him out of his thoughts. Sephiroth put his who-knows-how-expensive pen aside and directed his attention to the computer. Zack crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Blond, hair looks like a Chocobo, short, blue eyes, pale…” Zack knew Sephiroth could make use of such descriptions alone. If anything just by looking at the pictures of the current recruits. Sephiroth typed stuff into the computer while his green eyes flew over the screen, and Zack couldn’t help but wonder that Sephiroth could really use a friend, he wasn’t joking earlier. Someone he could talk to, to spend his time with without worrying that this someone was only with him because of Sephiroth’s rank and fame. But who was supposed to fill that role? Most people didn’t even dare to approach the general. Everyone seemed kinda happy that Zack bothered to stick around him… but Zack himself wasn’t happy with just that. Zack was his friend, sure, he knew Sephiroth trusted him, but Zack could never be the kind of friend who waited for Sephiroth to come home. And no, casual encounters didn’t count. Especially not if Sephiroth had no idea how to handle people on a personal level when it went beyond military matters and getting rid of physical strains and needs.

“Cloud Strife.”

“Huh?!” Zack let out and blinked, slightly confused. The look that appeared on Sephiroth’s face now was one of pure annoyance. The man nodded towards his computer screen. Zack leaned over the desk to look at it.

“Yep, that’s him.”

_Cloud Strife, huh? Noted. Yippee-Ki-Yay!_

Zack leaned back in the chair and folded his hands behind his head. Sephiroth didn’t pay any more attention to the computer, but Zack knew he wouldn’t forget about it, but he didn’t say anything. Now the question was how to approach the boy. He couldn’t just walk up to him. Not after what happened barely a year ago. They couldn’t risk another incident involving rumors of “favoritism” between SOLDIERs and recruits.

But he could get into contact with him on a business level, that wouldn’t raise suspicion. An idea came to mind.

“I’m gonna deal with him during the test,” Zack said with a smile on his face.

“Do that,” Sephiroth said. The hidden message that he should get out of the office now didn’t escape Zack. He jumped to his feet.

“Well, I’m off then, Seph! See you around!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 💚  
> I hope you enjoyed Zack's and Sephiroth's first appearance 💚  
> See you next time 💚

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 💚  
> I hope you had fun ✨  
> I'd love to hear from you what you thought about it 💚  
> See ya next time! ✨


End file.
